I did a pan drop and filter change on my Buick. I had purchased the fluid about a week ago. I found that I was about a quart short, so I looked for the best price on a quart of Dexron 6. All the Walmarts by me were out of Dexron 6, and the price had increased about 75 cents / qt. I checked the local auto parts stores, and their prices had gone up by $1.00 to $2.00 / qt.

Since ATF change is a scheduled maintenance item, you can plan in advance and buy the fluid when it is on sale. Autozone and AAP have sales on Castrol ATF for $5/qt a few times a year. So, when you know that service is coming up, then buy it when it is on sale

Everyone complains about gasoline at $4.00 a gallon but they pay $20 a gallon ($5 a quart) for regular motor oil

Cost for a $20 gallon of oil spread out over a OCI is in the thousandth of a cent per mile and way less noticeable. Tankful of gas cost is a much more per mile and readily noticeable on a weekly fill up basis.